So, it could likely go without saying, but having a kiddo at home throughout the pandemic has kept us from traveling as much as we’d like. But as the world has tried to get back to some semblance of normalcy, we’ve found a few ways to get back out there, while also staying safe. You’ll see more of those adventures here soon, but the first we’ll cover was one of our most recent: we decided to take a weekend for an anniversary staycation in downtown Dallas!
One of the most interesting aspects of this trip was just how little ground we covered – we had a blast, all within the span of about five square city blocks. Of course, there are countless other things to do in Dallas (many of which we’ll eventually be covering here), but one of our biggest goals for the weekend was just to get some rest and relaxation in, so we opted to try to keep the driving to a minimum. That ultimately had no impact on our enjoyment of the weekend – we found more than enough within that small radius to have exactly the ‘trip’ we were looking for.
Where We Stayed: The Joule
Alright, so with this being a staycation, there is something of a caveat to this post – we’re probably more familiar with the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex than we are any other of the destinations we’ll cover on the site. We live here. This was an awesome opportunity, though, as staying at the Joule had always eluded us for some reason; we’d always wanted to, but just never had an opportunity to do so.
The Joule is centrally located in downtown Dallas, and although it’s one of the smaller properties in the city, it certainly isn’t lacking in any amenities that one might desire. The room service was top-notch (as is all of their food: we’ve been fortunate enough to eat at their bar/speakeasy/late night dining spot, the Midnight Rambler, and the room service fare matched its quality) and the rooms and their corresponding views were exactly what we’d hoped for, but the amenity we were most looking forward to was one of the things the Joule is most known for: their spa.
With the primary purpose of the trip being to rest and relax, there was no better way to do so than with a few treatments at the spa. The Joule’s spa is actually located under the hotel (and given the nature of the activities taking place there, you’ll understand why we didn’t take a ton of pictures). We each did a massage and a facial, and afterwards, both agreed – although the facial was enjoyable, the massage was the most relaxing portion by far. Between treatments, we spent our time at the indoor pool, where we were able to enjoy glasses of champagne and enjoy their in-pool massage seats. At the end of the day, the spa was a bit of a splurge, but was also the activity that we enjoyed the most on our trip – definitely worth it.
Where We Ate: Catbird at the Thompson Hotel
A couple of blocks over from the Joule is a newer hotel that has opened recently, the Thompson, and within the hotel is an outdoor/indoor bar, Catbird, that has a delicious menu. For our trip, our reservation at Catbird was a bit later than we’d typically like for dinner, but that actually worked out perfectly – Catbird has become known for their smaller plates and (unsurprisingly) their drinks.
One thing you can’t help but notice at Catbird is the view. Rooftop bars and restaurants are all the rage in every city these days, but it would be difficult to find a better Dallas-based view than Catbird’s – you’re surrounded at every corner by the city’s skyline, which makes for an unbeatable ambiance at night.
The drinks were great, and the food was great (with the Texas Beef Bao Buns deserving special praise as one of the best things we ate all weekend), but the undeniable star of the meal was the Catbird S’more. We’re big fans of s’mores (they’re Karen’s all-time favorite dessert), but this one was unlike any other we’ve had before. The s’more is made in advance (to allow for the cinnamon ice cream and the meringue to set), and is then brought to the table and served flambé (which always makes for a great table side show). If you want a traditional s’more (or a traditional dessert), then this one might not be for you, but for us, it was an elevated take on an all-time favorite – the cinnamon ice cream was the perfect flavor addition, and it made this a can’t-miss dish for us.
What to Do: Visit Discovery Plaza
Okay, we should start this recommendation with yes, we know there are countless other things to do in Dallas (and even more if you’re considering DFW as a whole). In fact, we’ll be profiling a lot of those things in some of our future posts. However, our goal was to stay within a relatively small radius, and Discovery Plaza was just a couple of blocks over from the Joule.
Discovery Plaza is one of the newest of the several open recreation spaces in downtown Dallas – there’s a ton of space to just relax and hang out with family or friends. The centerpiece is a giant video wall that has a rotating selection of interesting digital animations, and honestly, that was one of our favorite parts – just sitting back and talking while we watched the various animations. One thing to note about Discovery Plaza is its integration with AT&T – the plaza was built on some open space outside of their headquarters, so there are unavoidably some corporate hints: at the center of the park is an archway that derives its looks from the company’s logo, and the video screen often runs ads for HBO Max (some other AT&T property) between the animations. But with that noted, it doesn’t feel overly branded – the digital art is all completely original (and most of them are true visual wonders), and the section we frequented most often was the food hall, within which several local businesses had rented out space.
We love food halls as a way to grab a quick bite to eat. Several have popped up throughout Dallas/Fort Worth, and the variety they offer is right up our alley. If you haven’t yet experienced one, it’s similar to a food court, but more often than not, the vendors are of a higher caliber, a wider variety, and typically have a local flair to them (as opposed to being a larger scale chain). While we loved the various art installations in Discovery Plaza, our favorite part was admittedly the food hall. It was the perfect place for a quick bite for breakfast, but we also later stopped back by for drinks while we waited for our dinner reservation at another nearby restaurant. And therein lies the best part about Discovery Plaza: it’s centrally located downtown, so it’s nice to have someplace to go and something to do when you’re looking to just… well, hang out. For a long time, downtown Dallas has been a destination to go to for a specific reason, but very rarely a place to “just hang out.” Discovery Plaza does a really good job of changing that for the area.
Overall, we had a blast on our “staycation” in Downtown Dallas. As you’ll definitely see in the near future, there are countless other things to do in Dallas – and we’ll be profiling and reviewing a lot of those things – but if you haven’t been downtown in a while, you likely won’t recognize it when you visit next. Dallas/Fort Worth as a whole is known for the wide variety of activities spread out throughout the Metroplex, but our visit proved that you don’t have to venture all that far to have a great time!